Two Sides of the Same Coin
by InjaMorgan
Summary: AU after End of Time. The Doctor survives, and so does the Master. My try to portray their difficult relationship. Master/Doctor friendship
1. Chapter 1 – Life

**Disclaimer:**If I owned Doctor who, I wouldn't write fanfictions. I would kidnap David Tennant and force him to come back to Doctor Who xD

**Rating:** M, but only for one scene in the eighth chapter^^

**Summary: **AU after End of Time. The Doctor survives, and so does the Master. My try to portray their difficult relationship. Master/Doctor friendship

**A/N: **_Well … I finally made a choice and will show you this little story that came to my mind a few weeks ago. Basically, it is my view how End of Time should have ended (I'm not the first one trying this, I know)_

_However, as I had finished the first few chapters (yeah, this story will really consist of more than one chapter. Promised. I'm working on Chapter 4 for the "original" in German at the moment, so I've just to translate the already written chapters :D ), I noticed that I had left out completely our poor Wilf, and I just couldn't find a way how to integrate him in the completed chapters. So I decided to leave him out entirely, you are free to think about a way that he didn't end in this spooky Vinvocci-thingy xD_

_By the way, the title of my story was inspired by the "Big Question"-clip with John Simm (Adventure Calendar Day 28) where Simm characterizes the relationship between the Doctor and the Master with those words. I think that it fits perfectly._

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Chapter One – Live

He gasped, waiting for something to come. But there was nothing.

He had not changed.

"I'm alive," he said with a smile, moving his hands in front of his face. Still so many scars and brushes.

"I didn't … There was … I'm still alive!" he screamed at thin air.

Well, not that thin.

On the other side of the room, where the white sphere had been just a moment ago, lay the Master. He did not move, just lay there like he was forgotten with his face to the wall.

The Doctor tried to stand up, but he felt as if the whole universe was dancing around him. He thought that it would be a lot safer when the floor was not that far away, and crawled.

"Master?"

As the addressee did not react, the Doctor moved faster.

"Master?" The voice of the Doctor nearly broke down as he reached the other Time Lord.

He turned the Master on the back and touched his chest. Two heartbeats. A little irregular, but they were strong. He lived and was probably just unconscious.

"Master, wake up …" The Doctor suppressed the impulse to shake him. It wouldn't have helped either. He did not know what he should do or think. This was his nemesis, and yet he only saw the little boy who had been afraid of the dark and had backed him when he had nightmares.

"Koschei …" The name was whispered; a memory of a long past childhood.

The unconscious Time Lord shivered; a quiet groan, flickering eyelids.

"I've said already, don't call me this name …" It was barely a whisper from the Master, but his mind seemed to work properly.

"Charming as ever …" the Doctor said, and a wide grin appeared quickly on his face. He had been given another chance.

The eyes of the Master opened to small slots and examined the Doctor, whose face hovered above him like a grinning sun.

"Rassilon … I wish I had at least got rid of you …" the Master smirked. The Doctor was always there if he felt really crappy. He turned his head to look round, but regretted the movement immediately. Damn, had a Judoon just trampled over his head? So it had to be the face of the Doctor again. Scratches over scratches and yet he kept this utterly daft smile.

"Why are you grinning so daftly?"

The Doctor's smile died within the blink of an eye.

"Eh … I'm just so happy … I'm still alive!" Great. The Doctor was lost for words.

"Yeah, I see that too … and my delight knows no bounds!" The Master tried to sit up. The headache was not getting better, but everything was better than to allow the Doctor the satisfaction of being so helpless.

"Why's that?" The Doctor withdrew for the Master to have a little more space. Sitting cross-legged on the ground he watched as the other Time Lord tried to sit up.

"Maybe … because I'm so very happy to see you again?" the Master said with a smirk, "I'd hoped that your next regeneration wouldn't be that– Argh!" The Master grasped his chest; his face became a skeleton for a short moment.

The Doctor became abruptly aware what had happened the seconds before the white sphere had disappeared.

The life energy. Nearly exhausted.

He quickly slipped back to the Master, who panted for air, and supported him before he passed out again and hit his head on the hard stone floor.

The Master groaned and tried to detach himself from the Doctor's embrace, but he was too weak.

"Déjà-vu …" The Master spluttered the three syllables painfully and his face changed two times to the skeleton and back.

"I know … but this time … I won't let you leave me again … not this time!"

And from somewhere, the Doctor did not know how, he took the strength to heave the Master. The latter was more than one time on the verge of loosing his footing, but somehow they managed to reach the Tardis. The Master flashed the other Time Lord a slightly amazed glance before another wave of pain hit his body. The Doctor brought him into the Tardis.

"Had I known it would be so easy, I'd let myself injure that badly earlier", the Master muttered.

The Doctor did not answer, but a small grin scurried over his lips.

The last meters in the Tardis to the infirmary were the worst. The Master tripped again and again; it became harder for him to breath and he changed every second to the skeleton and back. A very odd thought shot through his mind: Why didn't he just regenerate?

But before he could frame an answer, one of his hearts stopped and everything went black.

*+DW+*

_You know, I will be translating the next chapters more quickly if I get a lot of reviews :D_


	2. Chapter 2 – Care

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine. But I own a long black coat and a pair of chucks *gg*

**A/N: **_A big "Thanks!" to everyone who wrote a review, put this story on alert or on his/her Favorite Stories list :D It makes me smile very happily, because this equals love xD_

_Again, thanks to my beta oddood. I sent her the chapter last night and she did the work in only two hours this morning :D You're awesome *gives a hug*_

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Chapter Two – Care

The darkness faded slowly, and the Master noticed first that he rested on something. It was comfortable and soft, maybe a bed. The next things were the sounds. Next to him was the constant beeping of an ECG-monitor, which reminded him so strongly of the never-ending drums in his head. But they were gone, along with the Timelords.

He did not know if this was good or bad.

He opened his eyes carefully and recognized after repeated blinking against the light, a white ceiling above him.

"Ah, you're awake …" The voice of the Doctor came from somewhere to his left.

As the Master tried to turn his head he was prevented by something. He felt with his hand for it and noticed a small prickly pain in the back of it. Apparently, the Doctor had also put him on a drip.

His fingers touched cool metal, some wires, small diodes which caused a hint of a prickle on his scalp, and one thick cable, which lead away from the construct.

"What the hell did you do with me?" the Mater asked, still looking at the ceiling. Interesting tile-pattern.

Within a second the face of the Doctor was over him, but this time at least without this manic grin. He twiddled with the gadget and wore a don't-bother-me-I'm-busy-face.

"Just some vernier adjustments … Well!" With the buzz of the sonic screwdriver; a stabbing pain flashed through the Master's body.

"Argghh! You don't call that vernier adjustments, do you?" the Master screamed.

"Oops… eh … wrong wire …" Again, the sonic screwdriver buzzed and he waited for the pain, but there was none.

"Well, that should work…" The Doctor vanished out of view; however, this time the Master could turn his head without problems and followed the other Time Lord with his eyes.

The Doctor rummaged around in some closet which stood in one corner of the room and which, as far as the Master could see, was jam-packed with every possible medical gadget. Next to it was another bed, but this was not occupied.

Turning his head the other way, the Master saw just another white wall and an equally white door.

He leaned back and talked again to the ceiling.

"Why did you bring me in here?"

The quiet rustle of fabric, the groan of coil springs. The Doctor must have sat down on the spare bed.

"I've connected you to the Tardis. That … helmet there … it keeps you in a Time Lock, which is harmonized to your body energy. The field is highly limited to explicitly affect this bed, and the Tardis spends much energy to keep it up, but for the moment … you're safe," the Doctor explained.

"Oh … the good, good Doctor has to deliver bad, bad news…" the Master taunted. If there was one thing he loved, that was to underline his words with his comical side. "Oh, Doctor, Doctor, please tell me, how long have I got left?" he added with sarcasm in his voice and an exaggerated sobbing, imitating the countless hospital-series which existed on the telly of this planet full of rubbish called Earth. He really had a knack for melodramatic moments.

"Five days. Maximum," the Doctor said seriously.

Grinch.

Well then, another strategy.

"Maybe I don't want to be saved?" He turned and looked at the Doctor with an impish grin.

"I know you, Master. Last time you left open a loophole, but this time you neither had the time nor the possibility to create such a clever plan", the Doctor said with no visible emotion.

"Where did you get that idea from?" The Master turned his head back to the ceiling. It was definitely a better dialogue partner.

Again the rustling of fabric, and again the face of the Doctor, still covered with scars and scratches, appeared above the Master.

"I simply know. Furthermore, the problem of the nearly exhausted energy is not as … harmless as you think, Master. You've only got a tiny little spark of energy left, and this wouldn't even be enough to regenerate. If you take off this helmet and leave the room, you would fall apart into atoms within minutes, no, one even couldn't find your quarks anymore!" The Doctor explained vividly; then he stepped back, but the Master sat up with a low moan; now he could overlook the room better.

"Brilliant! You rescue your worst enemy from death to do what? Shut me away in the Tardis for evermore?" he asked, still a bit out of puff, but not without a grim undertone.

"Um ... no." Now the Doctor leaned against the free bed, but the tense in his body did not vanish. "I thought about it when you were unconscious. I tried to remember how it had been when we were friends, back on Gallifrey. I won't save the Master, but the friend who is still somewhere in there", he explained.

"Sentimentalist", the Master countered.

"And yet you didn't kill me back on the Valiant."

"Why kill quickly if I can have fun?"

The Doctor shook his head and arose slowly, as if he was again the old man from the Year-That-Never-Was, and passed the bed of the Master to reach the door. He stopped as he touched the door knob, but did not turn as he spoke.

"Keep imagining that, Master. But I know that your whole insanity couldn't kill the voice of reason completely. After all … you sacrificed yourself for me." And with this he was out of the room; the door snapped softly as it shut behind him.

The Master sighed. These five days would become hell.

*+DW+*

_If I receive more than five reviews for this chapter, I will try and update every Saturday :D_


	3. Chapter 3 – Sleep

**Disclaimer: **Hm … I'm still planning to blow up the BBC … still need some Nitro-9 …and still don't own Doctor Who …

**A/N:**_ I promised Saturday, and here it is, next chapter :D However, I think I can't keep up this fast uploading because I'm completely stuck with the original in … eh … for you it's Chapter 6, I think. I know, this isn't really a problem for you right now because there are still 2 chapters to translate, but you've to understand that translating isn't that easy. I have the feeling that I just need some time to think about this story and where I want it to go. But I'll try to update the next chapter Saturday in two weeks, I hope this is ok._

_Aaaand, thanks to all of you who have reviewed again. You're just amazing :D_

_My wonderful beta__ oddood__ has done another miracle. She read and revised this chapter in just 30 minutes :D And this chapter is longer than the first two ones :D_

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Chapter Three – Sleep

Exactly 4 minutes and 26 seconds later the Master had found a way to turn these five days into hell. For the Doctor, of course.

It was good he had a strong voice.

"Doooooooctoooooor?!"

Somewhere in the TARDIS there was a loud clangour and fast steps on gratings. Few seconds later the Doctor stood in the door to the infirmary.

"What's up?" he asked, a little short of breath.

"Oh … nothing … I just wanted to ask if I could have something to drink?", the Master said with an innocent face. "I mustn't get up, so I can't get it myself, can I?"

A despaired sigh. Ha, the Doctor hadn't thought of this! A wide grin appeared on the Master's face. Oh, this would be such fun!

*DW*

The Master took the liberty of playing the game some more times.

"I fancy some fish & chips. Do you know the little shop on Dean Street in London?"

"It's cold in here, isn't it? How about another blanket?"

"I've got nasty backache … An additional pillow would be nice!"

And always the Doctor responded positively. Fascinating.

But the Master noticed that he should not carry it to excess. As he called the Doctor the fifth time in one hour and asked him how they should handle going to the lavatory, he got the quick but painful answer of a flying bedpan hitting his head. He did not dare to say a word for the next five hours.

*DW*

When the Master didn't annoy him with special requests, the Doctor searched the Tardis' library for a way to give the Master back the lost energy. His collection of specialized books was huge, but yet he had the feeling that he would find nothing.

Due to the Master enjoying himself so much the first day, he felt worse afterwards. He dozed off more frequently. But that wasn't very upsetting for him, as he didn't have much to do anyway.

What he did not know, but the Doctor observed with growing fear, was that the Master did not fall asleep, but pass out and changed into the skeleton-mode for several minutes. Five days had been a very generous estimate, the Doctor thought sorrowfully. His friend – yes, somehow he had started to think of this seemingly weak Timelord as a friend – had maybe three days left. And that was only if he drained every last drop of energy from the Tardis to help him.

He had to find another way. Quick.

The Master woke out of his unconsciousness less and less often. Even he noticed in those few conscious moments that there was something amiss.

But somehow … no, he wasn't frightened. Death was nothing new for him.

_Theta knows what he is doing._

Be quiet, Koschei.

One time the Master woke up, and noted that something was different. He kept his eyes shut and just listened. The constant beeping. His own gentle breaths.

And there … there! Was this a low snore?

He opened his eyes and looked around. The light in the room was dimmed; it seemed to be night (or at least the TARDIS had changed into night-mode).

And there, in the corner, the Doctor sat in a very uncomfortable position in an armchair the Tardis definitely had put there; he couldn't remember it standing there earlier. The Doctor had apparently fallen asleep reading the huge tome he still balanced on his knees; once in a while he let out a soft moan or gurgling, but apart from that he slept peacefully.

_You should wake him so he can get a few hours of good rest_, Koschei said.

"Hush", the Master did more to himself then to the voice in his head; it could not be silenced that easy. On the contrary, since the Drums had vanished Koschei had become louder and louder with every passing hour.

He leaned back and looked at the sleeping Doctor.

He couldn't classify his feelings for the other Timelord. This was the Doctor, damn it. The Doctor had prevented him … how many times to control the universe? They were like the two sides of the same coin, and he was … yeah, he was the dark side.

And the shiny, luminous side was the Doctor; always ready to stop him. The eternal interplay.

He hated it.

And he was sick and tired of playing.

Slowly, the Master drifted back to sleep.

*DW*

He was shaken; only slightly, and it only brought him back to the real world very slowly. It was difficult for him not to turn and hide in the dark again.

He blinked, and saw (again, he added silently) the Doctor above him. The wide grin seemed to be imprinted on his face and reached from one ear to the other.

"Hello!" The Doctor had raised his right hand and waved to the other Timelord. Literally. What had got into him now?

"Hello" the Master croaked. His throat hurt as he spoke, as if he hadn't drunk for days. Or as if he had screamed for hours.

"Fancy a walk?" The Doctor was in a very good mood. The Master suspected something … bad coming.

"I thought I can't leave the bed?" the Master said. Oh, he didn't like the sound of this!

"Don't worry, I have worked on the time-stabiliser module. Yeah, I really found a name for it!" He ran his fingers through his already messy hair and the grin on his face became even wider. "Well, it works now for a short time with a small internal power supply. However, it won't operate that long, but we'll only need a few minutes anyway."

"For what?" The Master sat up in his bed and felt for the gadget on his head. The thick cable had vanished and had been replaced by something small and cubic.

"Oh, that's a secret", the Doctor grinned, "Come on, I'll help you!"

First, the Master wanted to protest. He did not need any help. But as his feet touched the floor he suddenly felt very dizzy. And when exactly did he change his nice black hoodie and the black jeans for some blue pyjama?

The Doctor came to his aid, holding him up.

"You know there'll be revenge for this?" the Master stated dryly.

"I know." The Doctor grinned again.

The Master had to acknowledge that the Doctor had eventually learned the art of torture. It made him smile.

Slowly, step-by-step, they first left the infirmary, walked along the corridor and finally reached the TARDIS' control room. The Master concentrated mainly on his feet so he did not stumble and fall down, but as he noticed the strange light in the main room of the TARDIS, he looked up.

He couldn't believe that the Doctor was really that stupid.

*+DW+*

_I know, cliffhanger :D Can't wait for your opinion. Liked it, Disliked it? Anyway, push the little green button below, I know you want to XD_


	4. Chapter 4 – Pain

**Disclaimer: **Eh … no … not mine …

**A/N:** _What? Only two little, lonely reviews? Is this the punishment for letting you wait two weeks instead of one? Oh, you're mean ._. But here is the next chapter, and I also got over my little writer's block, so there should be the next chapter ready next Saturday. But only if I get more reviews … eh, no, I don't like to take my poor little chapters as hostage … anyway, here we go :D_

_Again, __**oddood**__ did her magic to this chapter … She is a true angel!_

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Chapter Four – Pain

"How did you manage this?", the Master asked surprised, and walked unsteadily into the room. To his astonishment, the console of the Tardis was open on one side, just a crack, but out of it seeped mild and golden light.

"The old girl still owed me a favour." The Doctor passed him and touched gently one of the countless levers of the console. "I searched for other ways, everywhere, but it seems there are no others", he explained and looked to the Master. "So I thought that desperate times called for entirely legitimate desperate methods."

"Oh, it has to be a really desperate time then!" The Master grinned and sprinted to the open console. With a quick movement he took off the helmet and simultaneously opened the cover complete, ready to absorb the Time Vortex.

The golden light surrounded him, fondled him, and pervaded him. The Master took a deep breath; felt how the light made him stronger and healed his maltreated body. He could see time and space spread out in front of him, and it felt so _good_ …

Taptaptap tap.

No, no, no. Not the drums. It hurts …

It shouldn't hurt …

Taptaptap tap.

He gripped his head and cried out in pain. Please, let the drums go away, he pleaded, but no one saved him. The light only blinded him now. It wasn't friendly anymore, only tantalising, it burned, everything burned …

At the edge of his mind he noticed how two arms were put around his chest and how he was pulled away from the fire, the fire, which had been his rescue. At last he had the energy to close his eyes, to stop the glistening light from penetrating his mind, and at last the tantalising fire in his head became weaker, until it finally ceased.

Only slowly he returned to reality, and the first thing he perceived somehow clearly was that he lying on the floor, and the anxious face of the Doctor above him.

This became an annoying repetition, somehow.

"Master?"

The Doctor's voice was dull, as if the world was wrapped in cotton, and yet the Master could hear the concern and fear in this single word.

"Always great to see your face," the Master mumbled with an effort. His throat felt like he had eaten red-hot iron rods. There was a gentle snap in his ears and the cotton vanished.

"Thank Rassilon, you're ok!" the Doctor sighed relieved and pulled the Master into a close embrace.

"Damn, get off me!" the Master yelled, which his tormented voice requited with a persistent coughing fit. He shook off the Doctor's embrace and sat up so he could ease his lungs a bit, but even in the upright position he needed a moment to return to normal breathing.

His look fell on some blue shreds in his lap, and he recognised them as the leftovers of the pyjama he had worn instead of his normal clothing. He took some pieces of the partly charred, partly tattered fabric and pulverised it without any problem.

"What the hell has happened?" he asked.

"I don't know", the Doctor said quietly. The Master looked up from his destroyed clothes, directly into the face of the other Timelord.

"And I thought you wanted to save me …" the Master said thoughtfully, keeping an eye on the Doctor.

"I … I didn't plan this …" the Doctor explained and let his eyes travel over the console next to him. "I attached a filter which should prevent being able to absorb the whole time vortex, but apparently it didn't work the way it should and … and …" He stopped and took a deep breath.

"It started good, the light healed you, but then you screamed, and suddenly you burned …" He looked up to meet the Master's gaze, held the eye-contact. "I don't know what happened, or why it happened, but the last thing I wanted was to hurt you!"

"But it did hurt …" The Master broke off, ruffled his short blonde hair and burrowed his head in his hands. "The drums … the drums were back in my head, and it hurt so much …" He looked up. "They will never vanish, will they, Doctor? The drums, they are still in there, aren't they?" He tapped on his forehead, onetwothreefour, and smiled a desperate smile.

The Doctor swallowed and tried to get rid of the lump in his throat, but he didn't find any words. He nodded.

The Master, in turn, kept his eyes on the Doctor and tried to guess the Doctor's thoughts from the few motions he saw.

Which was not that difficult.

Poor Master. Confused, lost, crazy.

What had happened to them? Two almighty Time Lords, cowering on the ground like scared children.

He didn't want any pity from the Doctor.

He wanted anger, hate, rage, but no pity.

Pity was dangerous. It made him vulnerable, and the last thing the Master wanted to be was vulnerable.

Especially not with the Doctor around.

_He has saved your live. Repeatedly._

Great, Koschei was still there, too. It couldn't be better! The Drums and now also Koschei's damned screech. This combination could drive everyone mad.

This thought put a smile on his lips. He was already mad, wasn't he?

Somehow surprised, he observed that he rocked back and forth since a while. It was a comforting movement. Reminded him of a swing. He liked swings.

"Master?" The voice came from a great distant and had a familiar ring.

"Master?"

_The Master is not here at the moment, please leave a message after the tone._

*DW*

The Doctor had jumped to his feet, completely terrified, as the Master had fallen in this form of complete lethargy. The Time Lord just sat there, his knees pulled to the front of his chest, the arms entwined around them; his gaze was lost somewhere, his lips continuously formed soundless words.

Even shaking and yelling at him could not pull him out of this.

Like a captured predator he had walked up and down, tearing at his hair again and again, desperate because he didn't know what he should do.

Oh, he knew pretty well how he could reach the Master. Very exactly, actually.

But he didn't know if he dared to do it.

One never should touch the mind of an insane. It could happen that you lose your own connection to reality and are trapped forever more.

But he owed it to the Master … as a friend.

So he knelt down, breathed in, breathed out. He just must not loose control.

His fingertips gently touched the Master's temples. He pushed only slightly against the door, and to his surprise there was nearly no resistance.

Welcome to hell.

*+DW+*

_Eh … yeah … I know, __cliffhanger xD I like cliffies. They stimulate certain readers to push this little green button …_


	5. Chapter 5 – Mind

**Disclaimer: **No. Absolutely not mine. But look, a shooting star *makes a wish*

**A/N: **_I know, I promised Saturday, but I was a bit distracted by an exam I had to take on Wednesday (a big, big, very big English test, and I do really hope I passed with a good mark) and couldn't translate the chapter as quick as I wanted to. But nevertheless, here it is :D And I hope I'll get as many reviews as the last time …_

_By the way, I love you, all who reviewed and put my story on Alert/Favourite List!_

_Again betaed by oddood. :D *waves and gives a hug*_

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Chapter Five – Mind

The Doctor had expected pain. Fire. Worlds, trapped eternally in war and agony. The constant drumming, which maltreated the Master's psyche.

However, it was silent. A gentle breeze played with his coat and the red grass under his feet. He looked from a small hill on a wide valley, and not far from him were some buildings, which were of the same colour as the earth and grass he stood on.

He knew exactly where he was.

The buildings belonged to a small estate, which he knew very well. He had spent the better part of his childhood there, and the Master had grown up there, too.

Actually, he shouldn't be surprised. This was the place where the Master must have been happy for the last time. A sanctuary.

He acted on impulse as he approached the estate, but he did not forget to watch his surroundings. Travelling in the mind of others was also dangerous because he couldn't control what he saw. A little puddle could easily become a lake in the fantasies of a confused Time Lord, and the vice versa. One couldn't be sure in such a world where top and bottom, left and right were.

Surprisingly quick, he reached the front gate of the estate. Another thing he had to reckon with: distances were not what they looked like.

His fingers touched the dark wood of the great door. It swung up easily and without any noise, something that didn't coincide with his memories. The door had always opened heavily and had scratched incredibly on the floor.

He entered and looked around the great and open atrium. Everything was painted in the red light of the rising second sun, which falsified the original colours of the glorious wall paintings a little, but nevertheless he instantly felt as if he was a child again.

He was at home …

No. He shook his head. He was not here to loose himself. He had to find the  
Master, to bring him back and …

Someone cried.

It was the clear and desperate weeping of a child.

*DW*

The short grass on the endless lowlands glowed in the light of the setting suns like dried blood; a dark, hideous crimson.

He bent down and plucked some blades, played with them until they melted between his fingers and dripped to the ground, to join their brothers and sisters. He stood without movement on an ocean of blood, the blood of those that had died through him.

So many.

The Master examined his hands. Not a single patch of skin was white; all was covered with dried blood.

First a smile, than a broad, mad grin, then he laughed, so loud.

Laughed, because everything was so pointless.

The tears that had been cried for the countless number of victims.

The emotions one inevitably had to feel for something.

Life itself, which everyone thought was so precious.

And his laughter resounded with the endless waves of scarlet blood, which swirled around his naked feet.

*DW*

Ahead. Up the stairs. Left.

No, now the weeping became weaker.

Back, past the bust of a famous Time Lady, whom he had once given a nice beard and earned one week of house arrest for it.

The Doctor finally stopped in front of a door; he should have known that this was the room were the weeping came from.

He took a deep breath and pressed down the door handle.

The room was as meagre as he had known it. A bare wooden bed with white sheets, a simple dresser, a cupboard, a shelf with higher Gallifreyan literature, a window with a view to the mountains.

No toys. No colourful self-painted children's drawings on the walls.

Only a small boy, dressed in the red Prydonian robe, staring at him with eyes turned red from crying.

"Who are you?" he asked insecurely and wiped the treacherous tears off his cheeks with the back of his hand.

"Koschei?"

The Doctor approached the boy. Was this the child, the friend he had thought he had lost long ago?

"How do you know my name?" Koschei asked, and stood up, hesitating.

"Koschei … I'm … it's me, Theta!" The Doctor said quietly, but with a friendly smile. He crouched down, so he was more or less on the same eye level as the boy.

The young Time Lord tilted his head to the side, confused, but then with a sparkle of recognition in his eyes.

"Theta … you have become old!" Koschei hugged the Doctor so eagerly that they both nearly lost balance.

The Doctor was a bit surprised by the boy's fierce reaction and hugged him back, only with a bit of reluctance.

But as fast as Koschei had embraced him, he broke off and looked at the Doctor seriously.

"I thought you would never come and help me …" he said.

"What has happened?"

The boy lowered his gaze and clenched his fists.

"He imprisoned me here … he said, I annoy him. He hates it when I tell him that the things he does are wrong …" He looked up. "But what he does, torturing and killing people, it's wrong! I nearly had him so far he would listen to me, but then the Drums returned, and now everything is worse then ever before …" A tear dropped down his face.

"Koschei, where is the Master?" The Doctor asked with a concerned face. So this wasn't just a projection of the Master long gone childhood, but also his … conscience, if one wanted to call it that. He hadn't been completely wrong about the Master.

Koschei sighed, turned and looked out of the window, and the Doctor followed his gaze. But instead of the mountains he had seen earlier through the glass, there was a wall of fire, which seemed to reach endlessly into the sky.

"Out there …" He lifted his hand and pointed vaguely to the window. "The area I control is only very small. He holds me captive with the fire, but I think you should pass it without suffering any damage …"

"You think?" the Doctor asked doubtfully.

Koschei sighed again. "It's never safe to rummage in another Time Lord's mind. He certainly knows by now that you are here, and I don't know how he will react."

The Doctor nodded. This was understandable.

"I'll try it anyway."

Koschei smiled. "I didn't expect something else from you, Theta."

The Doctor made the attempt to stand up and leave the room, but was held back by a small hand which enveloped his own and held him back.

"You don't need your feet here, Theta. You're apparently forgetting that you're inside a mind, but exactly this you must not forget. Never!" Koschei shook his head to stress his words. "You can only hoist him with his own petard. And now I'm sending you to the border of my domain." The boy raised his right hand and smiled.

"Koschei, what do–"

But before the Doctor could end his question, Koschei tapped on his forehead.

In the next moment, the Doctor wasn't crouching in the small chamber, but was standing in front of the fiery wall, which he had seen only a moment ago from a safe distance.

"You could have at least let me finish talking!" he yelled angrily, although he knew that Koschei could hear him even here. But apparently even the Master's conscience liked some tension more than clear instructions how to save the Master.

He tilted his head back and tried to see the top of the fiery barricade, but there was none.

What scared him was that the wall emitted heat; hot enough to burn.

He lowered his gaze again and tentatively made a step towards the fire, and the heat increased.

Brilliant. With this, the probability of passing the wall without problems dropped to zero.

He nervously ruffled his hair and glanced back to the estate, to the hill he had stood on only minutes ago, well, so at least felt to him. It would be easy to simply go, to turn and leave the Master in this state …

But since when was he such a coward?

Another step. The heat was almost unbearable now, but he knew that the fire couldn't harm him.

He put forth his hand and gritted his teeth as the first flames licked over his skin and burned it.

No need to be upset. This was only a projection, not his real body.

But it hurt …

Pain was a bearable evil, he rebuked himself. But not the guilt of being responsible for the ultimate insanity of his friend.

He took a final deep breath and hurled himself into the fire.

*+DW+*

_I know, another cliffhanger xD And there will be more … I just love them *hugs her cliffies*_


	6. Chapter 6 – Fire

**Disclaimer:** Do my Chibi's count? No? That's sad … :-(

**A/N: **_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Forgive me! *makes her best puppy dog eyes*_

_I could say that I was busy, but that would be a lie. I was really lazy last week, and then I noticed that Saturday was THE day, and I just thought that nobody would read the new chapter anyway. So I just postponed, and now I'm feeling really bad :-(_

_Anyway, I hope you like the new chapter. I don't know when I will__ be ready with the next chapter, but it will be definitely not this weekend, because I'm going to London over the weekend (wohoo!) and then the new semester starts, so I will be busy learning more English … but I'll try to update around 20.4. …_

_And as always, this chapter was betaed by the glorious __**oddood**__. _

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Chapter Six – Fire

It seemed to last an eternity.

The fire surrounded him, hissed in his ears, and he smelled the unmistakable stench of burning flesh. His own skin, his whole body burnt and blazed.

The term "pain" had to be newly defined for this.

Again, he suppressed the urge to breath. He had closed his eyes and kept going straight on, only feeling his way with one hand.

_This is just a projection, not your real body._

The endless mantra he repeated over and over again to distract his thoughts.

Then he felt a cool breeze on his face and suddenly the inferno was behind him. He collapsed to the ground, barely breaking his fall with his hands, and was relieved to breath the fresh air. Breathe in. Breathe out. Oxygen.

He had survived.

"Welcome, Doctor!"

He opened his eyes and looked up. Not even five meters from him stood the Master and grinned at him.

"Welcome to my big, wide world." He raised his arms theatrically, turned around himself once and laughed at the Time Lord kneeling before him once more. "Did you like my little welcoming committee?" He roughly pointed to the wall of fire behind the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded slightly and had a look at his hands and clothes. There was barely a trace of the fire he felt; only his skin was reddened like he had slight sunburn. "An impressive manipulation …"

"Oh, I imagined that, too!" The Master clapped his hands and took a few steps towards the Doctor. "I thought that I shouldn't make it too easy for you to rummage in my mind!" He crouched down in front of the other Time Lord, their faces so close. "And now tell me, Doctor, why are you here?"

"I want to help you, Master."

"Oh, I do love it when you use my name!" He jumped up again, took a few steps towards the barrier of fire so the Doctor had to turn to see him. The Master had stretched out his arm into the flames so they could dance on his hands.

"I like this world, Doctor. Here I can determine what I want to do, no-one else." He turned around, and a small flame kept sitting on his hands like a pet. "I can decide who lives …" He raised his hand close to his face. "And who dies!" He clenched his hand to a fist, and the flame went out. "Isn't that great?"

"You could do the same in the real world." the Doctor stated.

"No, every time I try it there you come along and destroy everything." The Master went again in front of him, and the mad grin wouldn't disappear from his face. "But here everything is different, isn't it? So, why would I want to return to this poor, filthy little world, which means only pain for me?"

"Because the world offers more than pain. There are planets out there, oh, you would love them. Full of marvels and miracles."

The Master threw back his head and breathed deeply, before he looked at the Doctor again.

"And what should I do with them?"

"Admire it. Save it, if it needs to. And then go to find the next wonderful world."

The Master snorted and turned on his heels.

"Sounds boring." He walked a few steps and lounged onto an ornate throne which had appeared out of nowhere. The Doctor made an attempt to stand up and follow him, but was prevented from doing so with a simple sign of the Master's hand. Some crimson tendrils sprang from the ground and entwined around his wrists and legs so the Doctor was fixed to stay in the kneeling position.

"No, no, we don't want the good Doctor tampering with something which is not of his concern!" The Master leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, hands folded. "And only to repeat myself, it means nothing to me to explore the universe, whether as your companion or 'friend'!" His hands drew the quotation marks into the air.

"But–"

"No buts! Actually, why am I talking to you? I've got better methods!" The Master put forth his hand in the direction of the Doctor; turned his wrist two times as if he would close something.

The Doctor tried to formulate a response, swallowed, tried again, but only a rasping sound came from his mouth.

"Better, much better! Even if you look a little like a fish on dry land." The Master burst out laughing. "Got that, Doctor? Fish... on dry land. You open and close your mouth just like one, isn't that funny?" He grinned wide and waited a moment before he smacked his forehead. "Right, you can't answer anymore. Anyway, where was I?" He made a short pause and looked like he was thinking really hard, before smiling again, "Ah, I wanted to show you why I like my little world more than anything else …"

The Master rose from his throne and decreased the distance between him and the Doctor with a few steps. "Because you forgot, Doctor, that such a connection can be used in both ways." The grin on the Master's face didn't vanish as he crouched down and put his fingers on the temples of the other Time Lord; a bizarre caricature of the Doctor's action in the real world.

The Doctor's eyes widened from fear as he felt the Master rushing against his barriers. He was stronger than he had assumed, and first he fought against the other Time Lord, but in the end he gave up; there was no point to it anymore.

The sudden flood of pictures, emotions and impressions confused the Master for the first moment, because he had thought that the Doctor would fight longer, but everything was just there, unfiltered.

He felt like a child in a sweet shop

He could do so much. He could hurt the Doctor, torment him, but … first he would torture him a little, in a very special way. By memories.

Time Lords liked to shut away their memories, especially those that hurt them.

The Master looked for the door, the little treasure chest, and found it relatively quick, as if the Doctor had prepared it for him – unlike back on the Valiant when he had to work really hard to get the memories of Rose, oh, sweet little Rosie-Posie, stranded in a parallel universe.

No, he wasn't interested in the old memories, he wanted the new ones.

"Wait … that's me!" he called out, automatically using his voice as he saw himself in the Doctor's point of view, dying. He played the memory again, but really …

"You cried for me, oh how sweet … how … human …"

_Yes, I cried_, the Doctor said weakly, using their telepathic link. _Why shouldn't I? You left me behind deliberately, alone._

"You idiot …" the Master answered, rummaging through the next memories and again looking at one a bit longer. "You even gave me a funeral!" he exclaimed surprised as he saw the burning pyre.

_What, should I have let you rot in some roadside ditch?_, answered the Doctor grimly.

"Well, I would have done it if I was in your position", The Master said cynically; he was a bit surprised that exactly these memories were hurting the Doctor, but at the end it didn't matter.

Onward, onward, there had to be more …

"Hm … Rosie-Posie came back and got her own Doctor, how sweet … sometimes your life could be a bad soap opera, Doctor … and, hey, what's that?" He wound back again.

"You played with the timelines, Doctor?" the Master exclaimed nearly hysterically. "Oh, bad, bad Doctor, what was that … a trace of … Master-ism?" The Master grinned evilly, and the grin reached even into their link. "And you're responsible for the death of this little human female … nearly changed everything … 'Time Lord Victorious'? Oh please, that's too much ego… even for you …"

_I'm not perfect either, Master._ The Doctor was tired and exhausted; the guilt and fear from the events on Mars were already a great burden, but to remember and feel everything again was so much, too much …

Someone cleared his throat.

But it was neither the Master nor the Doctor.

The former was so irritated that he broke off the link to the Doctor which caused the Doctor to slump down as far as his bonds allowed him to.

The Master stood up, turned and …

"Koschei?"

*+DW+*

_I know that some of you now want to kil__l me because of this cliffhanger … and I'm sorry, but the next chapters will have also cliffhangers, there are just so … good …_

_What about a nice little review to fight the really evil cliffhangers?_


	7. Chapter 7 – Treason

**Disclaimer:** Well … I bought a second pair of Converse in London :D they're cream, you know, this dirty white the Doctor wears in SoD/LotT xD (a hooray for the close-up!) And no, I didn't have the chance to buy the rights to Doctor Who in London …

**A/N:**_ I promised 20.4., and here it is, next chapter :D_

_There were really many reviews for the last one, and even more people put it on their favorite lists or alert. You're just amazing, you know that, don't you? (I got this strange German review, hm, does anyone want to know what she/he wanted to say? XD)_

_I don't know when I'll update next time, because university has hit me with full force and I have many homework to do. Especially Translation is taxing; it's really easy to do your own stuff, but those strange German constructions I wouldn't use in ages …_

_Well, anyway, have fun! And please don't kill me XD_

_Again betaed by the famous __**oddood**__. She is the quickest beta in the world!_

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Chapter Seven – Treason

"Hello, Master."

The Doctor looked up, and there… there stood Koschei, still in the simple Prydonian robe. His voice was quiet and detached. He held his hands behind his back, as if he wanted to sing, like in school, and his gaze rested on the Master.

The latter was equally shocked as the Doctor to see the boy. "How did you get here? I thought I had–"

"Imprisoned me?" Koschei interrupted his older self. "Did you really think you could control me that easily?" A small smile appeared on Koschei's lips.

"And then what is that?" The Master pointed at the wall of fire behind him.

"Oh, as if this would stop me."

The smile became a grin as Koschei raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

The fire in the back of the Time Lords whooshed loudly, so the Doctor and the Master alike turned, only to see that the burning wall collapsed all together and vanished in the blink of an eye. Koschei didn't wait for any reply of the two Time Lords, but continued to talk in this gravely voice.

"Well, I have to admit that you had the upper hand as long as your attention lay on me, and only me. That's why I needed him," his hand pointed roughly at the Doctor, "to distract you. From this point on, that wall was just an image; and I could walk trough it as easily as a door." The grin widened, but simultaneously a dark shadow flickered over Koschei's face, and the Doctor winced. He knew by now what really stood in front of them, whom he had helped unwittingly to take power over the Master; he nearly felt it physically – and it frightened him.

"And now I'm here!" Koschei laughed for a moment but kept an eye on the Master, who in return stared at him furiously.

"And I can send you back any time!" The Master said with gritted teeth. He had clenched his hands to fists, nails cutting in flesh, and now raised a blood-smeared hand, willing to crush Koschei with lightning – but nothing happened.

Koschei's laughter echoed wide over the endless Gallifreyan mountains and valleys.

"Master". He spat the name as if it was poisonous. "You lost!"

The boy slowly approached the other Time Lord, who drew back, one step, and another one; he nearly fell over the still kneeling Doctor on the ground, but a sign of Koschei's hand prevented him from doing so and made the Master kneel in front of the boy. He struggled visibly, but the boy forced him to do so with only one hand, still smiling. This was _fun_.

"Now I have the control, Master." Koschei leaned forward so his face was merely an inch away from the Master's. "I give the orders, and you will obey!"

"Never!" the Master said grimly, still fighting the invisible bonds.

"Oh, Master, Master…" Koschei shook his head with feigned indignation and stood up. "Did you forget that you're nothing without me? Who had the idea with the Toclafane? Who had the ingenious idea to make the Tardis into a paradox machine?" Again this stone-cold laughter. "Me! And you were always just the one who had the control over this stupid body because you were there first!"

The Master tried to say something, but Koschei put forth his hand and touched him, just slightly on the shoulder, and the Master flinched as if he had been hit.

Koschei smiled and caressed, nearly lovingly, the Master's cheek. "You forgot them, didn't you?" The Master trembled and whimpered quietly. "The drums, never ending. The drums which drove you into madness … and created me!"

Koschei turned away again and cut the connection to the Master; the latter fell forward on his hands and gasped desperately for air, relieved to hear not only the drums and Koschei's voice, so soft and yet sharp like a thousand knives.

"And what now?" Koschei asked the sky and Gallifrey's wideness and not the two Time Lords whom he showed his back anyway. "Ah, I know!" He turned around with a grin on his face which wasn't unlike the Master's. "First I let you," he pointed at the older version of himself, "try your own medicine!" He laughed and shaped a circle with his hands in the direction of the Master.

Surprised, the Time Lord saw how tendrils shot from the ground around him and expected that he would be bound like the Doctor, which seemed mere minutes ago, but instead they formed bars, a roof, became solid metal.

A cage.

He noticed that Koschei refrained from letting him kneel in the cage, so he stood up and shook the bars without effect. He looked around; his prison was alarmingly small, two steps to the side or forward and again metal – but what really frightened him was the sight of the Doctor outside the cage, still on the ground and without his voice. The Master had concentrated on Koschei the whole time, paying no attention to the other Time Lord in his mind, and had forgotten that this situation was similarly dangerous for him.

Master, help me, his eyes seemed to plead. Help me, _please_.

In this moment something let the cage shudder and the metal prison moved away from the Doctor and Koschei, but not really that far. Now the Master had something like a seat in the first row, near enough to hear everything but not close enough to do anything – and so nothing of the things Koschei would do to the Doctor would hit him likewise.

"Yeah, that's better." Koschei clapped in his hands with satisfaction, as if the moving of such a heavy object was exhausting in this world, and approached the tied up Time Lord. "Now to you, my dear Doctor." He stopped and crouched down to look into the Doctor's eyes, too. The latter tried to avoid the gaze by turning his head to the side, but one of the tendrils wound itself a bit tighter around his neck and forced him to look at Koschei.

And just then the Doctor saw that the eyes of the boy were black, black as the most starless night, and yet there was a fire in them like red, glowing coals, fateful and … evil.

"Far too often you destroyed my plans and got in my way. Even now you are trying to keep up a silly blockage to prevent me from taking the final control over the Master." Koschei smiled and stroked over the Doctor's cheek so he could hear the drums too, so clearly. How the Master could bear this, so powerful, so loud that he even couldn't hear his own thoughts, he didn't know.

However, it was only a short contact, but Koschei visibly enjoyed his suffering.

"Oh, Doctor." Koschei tilted his head to one side, still smiling. "This was just the beginning of the things waiting for you. I could look into your head just like the Master, and I think I know how to … torture you the best."

Koschei stood up and put his hands on his hips. "Well, up with you, we don't want you to meet you friends that miserable, do we?"

On a sign of Koschei the Doctor was pulled up by the tendrils with a jerk; now he hung like a marionette on his arms, the tips of his toes almost touching the ground so the pain in his shoulders was just bearable. He gritted his teeth and shortly closed his eyes so as not to whimper pitiful; he didn't want to show Koschei – and the Master – any weakness.

As he opened his eyes again, he saw Reinette in front of him – how she put a rope over an invisible beam and hung herself.

Of course. Koschei used his friends and his feelings for them. Dead eyes looked right into the soul and cut deep wounds on their way.

In the next minutes he saw Sarah Jane, Martha and Mickey committing suicide in various ways. Only once he was flinching as his face was sprayed with blood when Martha shot herself in her head, but he stayed surprisingly calm. Those were just images and not real, he told himself again and again, those people were happy and had no reason to kill themselves. He might be the reason for their changed life, but this life was good and worth fighting for as well.

Then appeared other figures, and the Doctor swallowed. Susan died through a Dalek. He couldn't say for sure that her death had been another – maybe she had been shot down in a battle Tardis or died when he had pushed the button – but seeing her empty eyes, to see his granddaughter die, that was too much.

He didn't try to keep back the tears as other Time Lords appeared, his family, many he had once called friends, and all burned, burned right in front of him, silently crying because nothing could stop the destruction of Gallifrey.

One time he tried to turn his face away, to shut his eyes, but Koschei didn't allow him missing the death of Romana. She was judged by other Time Lords after she turned against them – they said she was corrupted, like the Doctor, to be not for Rassilon's plans.

But he knew that this was just the start, because one person was still missing.

Rose.

*+DW+*

_Yep. Another cliffhanger. But it's the last one! Sadly, there are only two chapters left to this story, the "grand final" and an epilogue._

_Anyway, I have to warn you: This chapter scratched at the limit of the T-rating. The next chapter will definitely be M, but no, there won't be any "adult" themes, just a bit more violence. And yeah, I finally showed you my passion for DoctorWhump XD_

_So, if you want me to translate a bit faster and leave my homework in the corner, write a review :D_


	8. Chapter 8 – Faith

**Disclaimer:** You have to know it by now, don't you?

**A/N:**_ Ha, did I just surprise you? Well, I had a bit more time this week, and a lot of motivation to translate this chapter :D Aaand I even did my homework … wish me luck that it isn't that bad …_

_And, especially for Meerkeks, yes, the German original is online, too. Just go for my profile, there you'll find the link. However, there is just the epilogue left for you to read there …_

_Yes, my dear readers, this is the__ grand final! I hope you'll like it, despite being now M-rated. And I do hope you won't kill me …_

_As always, __**oddood **__was my little magic beta. I owe her a huge cookie._

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Chapter Eight – Faith

After some vain attempts to make the metal around him vanish, the Master slid down the bars and hid his face in his hands. At first he had dared to watch the torture of the Doctor, but then some familiar faces appeared; Time Lords burning miserably, and he rather turned his back on it, huddling on the ground and trying not to imagine what the Doctor felt right now. Sympathy was for cowards.

"It's amazing, isn't it?"

The Master raised his head with a start and looked around. He didn't expect that anybody else was here, but apparently …

There stood Professor Yana, staring out of the cage and watching the events outside attentively. He didn't seem to pay attention to the Master.

And before the latter could even think about an answer, the old man spoke again.

"The Doctor sacrifices himself for you, bears this torture only to protect you, although you fought him so many times." Yana turned his head to the side and looked at the Master with strange light-coloured eyes. "Didn't you?"

"I didn't ask for it!" the Master yelled furiously. He pressed his palms against his eyes until he saw stars. He knew very well what Yana personified, just as he knew right from the beginning what Koschei was; Yana talking to him right now would be as bad as the Drums. Rassilon, he only wanted some peace and quiet, once in his life …

"And yet you're allowing it." Yana's voice was firm and biting.

"I don't allow it! That's only Koschei's doing!"

Yana sighed, crouched down and gently but firmly removed the Master's face from his face so he could look at him. The Master felt a slight prickle on his skin where Yana touched him, but it was a friendly feeling, not like the Drums Koschei's touches brought with them.

"Master, when will you finally understand that Koschei, and me too, belongs to you? We are parts of you, not the other way around!" Yana shook him slightly as if he wanted to wake the Master from a nightmare.

"How is it then possible that Koschei can do _this_ if I'm controlling him?" The Master pointed behind him where Romana was just killed by two other Time Lords.

"Because you want it." Yana's gaze hardened and he got up again.

The Master turned slowly around and saw how some humanoid, female tree burst into flames.

"No … I cannot want this …" He knew which agony this view caused for the Doctor, that he was frightened, exposed … so weak, the pain …

"Stop it!" The Master covered his ears and closed his eyes tightly, as if this would help in any way; he couldn't just cut off Yana's influence, he was too close, and he himself felt so small …

"Master, you could end this." He still heard Yana's voice, so powerful in his head. "With my help; together we could lock Koschei away, forever."

The Master breathed in deeply, opening his eyes and lowering his hands. "Koschei would be gone?"

A smile spread over the face of the old man. "Yes."

In this moment, someone screamed; the Master looked out of the cage, but the pictures in front of the Doctor where blurred and hardly visible for him, but then the Doctor screamed too, desperately.

"Quick, Master." Yana pulled him around. "We don't have any time left. Shall I help you?" Yana held his right hand out, and the Master didn't think long but took it.

"Yes!"

With the drive and energy one wouldn't grant an old man, Yana pulled the Master on his feet and nodded at the younger one.

Then the Master heard Koschei's laughter, and he knew that the Doctor had lost.

*DW*

After the Doctor had seen the whole of Gallifrey and had to watch again the death of Jabe on Platform One, Astrid Perth, the stewardess on Midnight, River Song and so many others who had helped or wanted to help him, there was a short break. For a few moments no lost companion or friend appeared, ready to die or to be killed, and he sighed with relief, but not without reminding himself that this was just the calm before the storm. Until now he had withstood and prevented Koschei from taking over the control with a strong barricade. He looked up for a short time and saw the boy, whose robe-colour had adapted to his black eyes and so underlined even more strongly which part of the Master he personified. He grinned, and it was a grin which literally overflowed with malignancy.

_Final. _

Suddenly Rose stood in front of him. She smiled, happily, oh, so happily. She turned and kissed him, no, not him, just a image of him, and the Doctor felt reminded of the moment at Dårlig Ulv Stranden, as Rose had kissed his doppelgänger, his human twin. The kiss was deep and tender.

The scene changed, as quick as if a dark hand had wiped over it, and the kiss of the Doctor, the other Doctor, became more domineering. He said something, and Rose pushed him away. He could not hear what Rose said, but her eyes screamed; she was frightened.

Again the other Doctor tried to kiss her; Rose stumbled back but tripped and fell to the ground.

He wanted to look away, but Koschei forced him to watch with eyes wide open how this copy, this travesty of him pounced on Rose like a starving wolf, pressing her against the ground and ripping open her blouse.

Rose screamed. It was the first time any of the images screamed. And the Doctor screamed with her, yelling her name, not wondering for a second that the Master's spell had been broken, so much was he captured by this terrible film playing in front of him.

Rose fought. She kicked, trying to hit the man above her who now tore at her trousers, and she nearly succeeded, but he was too strong. And suddenly the man who only looked like the Doctor had a knife in his hand – and stabbed her. Rose's scream as she saw the knife was silenced quickly and it became a gurgling as he stabbed her again, and again, and again. Rose's chest was nothing more than a pool of angry red blood as he finally stopped, stood up and looked at his doing with satisfaction. Then he faded.

Rose's broken eyes were pointed at the Doctor, accusingly, before she faded too.

Koschei laughed triumphantly as the Doctor finally gave in, lifting the blockage to sink completely in the despair of just having killed Rose. At last he could close his eyes, although this wouldn't let the images vanish; he would have cut the connection to the Master immediately, but Koschei still hold him, perhaps so he could watch his rise to power.

Sure of victory and still laughing, Koschei removed the Doctor's bonds so he dropped to the ground hard. He tried to stand up, but fell back; actually he didn't care, he just wanted to hide in some dark corner and stop thinking, should the world look after it itself …

"Koschei!!!"

The Doctor looked up. He hadn't expected that the Master would rebel inside his cage, but …

the Master stood in _front_ of the cage, his hands casually inside the pockets of his hoodie, and his face was a mixture of satisfaction and a coquettish grin. And there was another thing, but the Doctor couldn't put the finger on it, somehow the Master had changed, but he couldn't tell in how far …

"Koschei, you've been a bad, bad Time Lord!" The Master approached the boy who paced back, visibly stunned.

"No … NO! That's … that's impossible! Not with this weakling!" Koschei's voice broke; the Doctor recognized in amazement that the boy was frightened.

"Not impossible, just a bit unlikely, Koschei." The Master took another step towards the young Time Lord.

"But … but … you need me!" Koschei tried to regain his self-control and stamped his foot, the ground shook and suddenly the cage and the mountains in the southeast disappeared.

"No. You were only the burden the Drums encumbered me with." the Master said and showed no reaction as the ground trembled. His gaze was locked onto the boy, who in a snotty manner had crossed his arms in front of his chest. The Doctor watched the scene with amazement and tried to understand what happened there.

"I won't let you go that easily!" Koschei yelled full of pride and defiance.

"Yes, you will." The Master took another step and knelt down in front of Koschei. "You will …" he said fatherly, and before Koschei could flee from him or reply something, the Master pulled his younger counterpart into a tight hug.

"No!" Koschei roared, and suddenly the Master glowed in an unknown bright light, like a regeneration. The Doctor turned away and closed his eyes so he would not be blinded. In this moment a noise began as if thousands upon thousands glass shards were falling, and the ground under the Doctor shook again. Only after the tumult stopped he dared to open his eyes.

Around him wasn't Gallifrey anymore, but an endless, wide White. No mountains, no grass, just a plain, white surface without any boundaries.

And the Master, looking down at Koschei who huddled on the ground.

"Come, Doctor, stand up."

He looked to the side and saw Professor Yana; he smiled friendly at him and held out his hand. The Doctor was slightly confused, but took the help and got shakily back on his feet. He kept staring at the Mater and tried to comprehend what just happened, how this was possible at all …

Yana followed his gaze and just shook his head, smiling. "It's alright now, let that be our worry."

The Doctor looked again at Yana who nodded at him kindly. And now he felt it: He was free; nothing hindered him from cutting the connection.

The Doctor sighed with relief and disappeared.

Meanwhile, the Master tried desperately to get rid of the last remains of this disgusting light by wiping his hands on his jeans, but the strange shimmer of his skin stayed.

"Do I have to do this now very often? I feel like an oversized butterfly …"

"No, not if you don't want to", Yana grinned with a suppressed laughter. He stood next to the Master again and looked at Koschei, too. The latter had tugged his knees to his chest and studied in detail the hem of his robe.

"What are we going to do with him?"

"Yeah, what are you going to do with me?" Koschei looked up; his voice was still full of envy and resentment.

However, Yana looked at the Master. He couldn't decide what to do and, to be honest, didn't want to.

The latter thought about it, and then nodded. "I think I know …"

Koschei's robe became a straightjacket and a black gag appeared in his mouth. He looked at the Master with hate in his eyes and tried to get rid of the gag, so he could at least throw the several curses he had in mind at them, but the Master ensured that he couldn't.

"Ah, I nearly forgot …" The Master reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled a white iPod with matching headphones out. He bent forward and put them into Koschei's ears, setting one title on repeat with a flick of the wrist. "Those are now only for you."

Koschei's eyes widened, but the Master turned without another look at him to Yana

"Be careful that the he doesn't escape again, ok?"

Yana nodded understanding, and melted, like Koschei, with the endless White.

The Master breathed deeply one more time, enjoying the silence in his world. Then he shut his eyes, felt for the border to the real world and left this whole madness behind him.

*+DW+*

_Eh … yeah__ …_

_I hope I didn't confuse you too much. Yes, Yana is the "good" part of the Master. When I first thought about this whole situation, I imagined a "white" Koschei (white hair, white clothes, white eyes, everything) as being a direct opposite of the dark/black Koschei, but recognised it as even more confusing than Yana/Koschei. And who doesn't like Jacobi!Master, eh?_

_And, everyone who finds the little quote and can tell me out of which New!DW-episode I took it gets ... hm ... a review to one of his/her stories :D  
_


	9. Epilogue – Colloquy

**Disclaimer:** I'm still trying to convince the BBC …

**A/N:**_ Oh, yeah, I know, two weeks … but you must know that my last weekend was really busy and I just couldn't bring myself to sit down in front of my computer and translate the last chapter._

_Yep, my dear readers, this is the last chapter of "Two Side of the Same Coin"! I hope you'll like it, and I do hope that some of the more silent readers use the chance to write a final review. I know that I'm not perfect and that my use of the language is sometimes a bit awkward, so just write if you liked it, how I could improve etc. However, seeing that 13 readers put this story on their Fav's, 27 people on Alert and getting 39 reviews for this silly little thing tells me that the English fans definitely like Doctor/Master stories more than the German ones *laughs* I only got 25 reviews there for the whole story, so, yeah._

_Anyway__, I want to thank my beta__** oddood**__ one last time. She bore my German/English phrases and was the quickest beta I ever had. I hope we can work together again._

**Two Sides of the Same Coin**

Epilogue – Colloquy

The Master sighed as he returned to his real body. He already heard the first "good advice" from Yana in the back of his mind, and saw a kind of short film out of Koschei's perspective, which demonstrated clearly that the Doctor had given up with good cause. Even the Master got goose-bumps, and Yana pointed out that an apology for this procedure was more than appropriate.

The Master considered for a moment if it had been a good idea at all to accept this deal with the old man, because actually the line "I'm sorry" was the Doctor's speciality, however …

The mental kick in the butt told him that he had to really control himself to not loose Yana's support.

Only now he opened his eyes, blinking, and relaxed the tense muscles in his arms and back; actually, all the muscles in his body ached. His legs slid into a loose Indian-style position, and he looked up.

The Doctor watched him; his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned seemingly casually against the console. Only his eyes gave him away; there was a shadow over them which darkened his whole face.

"Doctor." The Master nodded; a gesture that could mean much, but also nothing.

"Master." The Doctor nodded, too, but the strange expression did not vanish.

In the silence that followed the famous dropping pin could be heard.

"What has happened to Koschei?" The Doctor asked suddenly, his voice hollow.

The other Time Lord shook his head. "Locked away. With Yana's help."

"And the drums?"

"The same." What was this, a cross-examination about his mental stability?

The Doctor nodded, slowly, as if he first had to process what he just heard.

"Good." The Time Lord lowered his arms and pushed himself slightly off the console, made one step forward, so the Master had to tilt his head to look into the Doctor's face.

What he then did, the Master had not expected from the Doctor after the incidents in his mind.

He held out his right hand.

"Come up."

Utterly confused, the Master looked from the hand to the face of the Doctor and back again. His mind literally rattled. Was this a trap? Maybe some ambush? Then he saw the smile that had spread on the lips of the other Time Lord. The shadow had disappeared; the smile was honest.

He grabbed the Doctor's wrist, who did the same in return, and with a jolt the Master was back on his feet. He held the Doctor's gaze, albeit the protest of his muscles about the sudden movement, and the Doctor looked back.

_Now._

"I'm sorry."

For a short moment, the length of a Time Lord's heartbeat, they stood there, equals, foes. Friends.

"I know."

Just two little words, but the Master instantly knew that the Doctor had just granted him absolution, and for the beat of an eyelash they simply looked at each other, but then the Doctor lowered his gaze and loosened his grip, turned around and seemed to concentrate on the console.

"Where shall we go?"

"What?"

The Doctor turned his head to the Master, grinning as he started his usual dance around the centre of his Tardis. The other Time Lord was visibly confused about the sudden change of the Doctor's mood.

"Where shall I drop you off? I know some nice little planets, hmm, how about New Earth? You just have to watch those cat-people, they're really creepy!" He leaned over the console, holding some lever down with his right foot.

The Tardis shook slightly as they entered the Vortex.

"Any wishes?"

The Master breathed deeply. Rassilon, he would hate himself for this for the next few decades.

"Actually, I thought it a good idea to accept your offer."

The Doctor stopped in the middle of his movements. He stared at the other Time Lord, pushing a button without even looking.

"Pardon?"

"Well, you know. Travelling with you, see the universe …"

The Doctor stared at him with his mouth wide open.

"Don't say you can't remember your own sentimental drivel!"

Apparently the other Time Lord had found his voice again. "I do … I do … but I never thought you would really accept this."

"Well, you thought wrong!" The Master grinned at the person opposite. "But only with three conditions:" He raised suggestively his index finger. "First, I volunteered for this, so if I want to leave your Tardis, you have no right to hold me back."

The Doctor nodded, still not really understanding which epic moment he was just experiencing.

"Second: I get my own room and, if it's necessary, my own wing in the Tardis. I don't want to see you more than I need to."

Again a nod, and a low rumbling of the Tardis, because she actually didn't like the Master since the whole paradox-machine-thing.

"And third!" The Master pointed down at him. "I want to get out of these pitiful remains of a pyjama. I really hope for you that my nice hoodie still exists; it was so comfy!"

"Of course, I'm sure it's already in your new wardrobe, washed and ironed." The Doctor murmured. He stared at the controls in front of him and turned some switches.

Then he looked up, and smiled. Smiled wide, grinned, and walked around the console towards the Master.

"No." The Master backed away. "No, no, no, no, no, no and again NO!"

"Aw, come on, one time won't kill you!"

"I said no! Even without the dru–"

The Master sighed desperately as the Doctor hugged him. It lasted only for a second, but that was torture enough.

"Great to have you on board!" the Doctor said and, still grinning, turned his attention back at the Tardis' controls. It seemed a little miracle he didn't whistled of joy.

The Master took a deep breath and tried to cut off Yana who was just dancing around very happily.

Rassilon, please, let that be not the wrongest decision of my life …

*DW*

"I never thought that travelling with you would contain so much running!" The Master ducked so he wasn't hit by a laser beam before both Time Lords let themselves fall behind a rock and gasped for breath.

"May I remind you that it was not me who offended the Sa-Noxian queen with my stupid comment?" The Doctor slid down further so the lasers couldn't hit him.

"How should I know that they are so fussy about their slime?" the Master asked cockily and bended to one side so he could fire with his stolen laser blaster.

The Doctor snorted and seized the laser blaster out of the Master's hand. "How many times must I say it? NO weapons!" He looked around and was relieved when he saw the Tardis about 400 meters away. The problem was that between the rock in his back and the Tardis there was just a wide, open range with no protection at all.

"Well, this means sprinting …" The Doctor put the laser blaster in the pocket of his coat and looked to the Master, who stared at him grumpily. He hated it when the Doctor took away one of his new toys.

"On three?"

The Master looked at the Tardis and considered how likely it was to survive a hit of such a laser blaster. Of course, he could regenerate, but … he liked this body a lot …

"One …" The Doctor straightened up.

"It was nice to travel with you." The Master peered again round the edge of the rock. The Sa-Noxians were dangerously close.

"Two."

"May your next body be less skinny."

The Doctor grinned. „Three!"

And then they ran.

Sometimes, the Master thought, his current life was not that bad.

_Fin_

_For anyone who thinks this can't be just the end, I'm planning to write a sequel. There are so many things I want to write about the Master and the Doctor, so many little ideas, but I'm still lacking a good plot, so it could last some weeks until I even start the German version. But if anyone wants to take up my idea and start an own sequel, you are free to do so. Just write me a PM so I can read your story, yeah?_

_*bows* Until my next story, see you!_


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